73-year-old Docklander conquers Mount Kilimanjaro

Climbing the world’s highest free-standing mountain is no small feat, but 73-year-old Docklands resident Geoff Day has shown that determination knows no age limits.

While Geoff was never an avid mountain climber, ascending Mount Kilimanjaro had long been on his bucket list. This October, he finally achieved that dream.

“I could feel I wasn’t physically as strong as I used to be, so I thought if I’m going to do Kilimanjaro, I better get cracking,” he said.

Standing at an impressive 5,895 metres, Geoff’s climb to the top of Kilimanjaro unfolded over eight days, alongside a team of five climbers and 25 dedicated support crew members from Kilimanjaro Experts.

Despite his wife Sharon’s reservations and friends questioning whether he was experiencing an “old-age crisis”, Geoff remained steadfast in his commitment to reach the peak.

The oldest of the group, Geoff arrived at the summit at 7:35am on October 6, only an hour behind the rest of the group. 

“The chief guy, Robert Masha, he’s been doing it for 17 years and I’m the oldest person he’s ever taken out,” Geoff told Docklands News.

It was brutal, but I wasn’t going to stop because it was hard. I never thought about that

To prepare for the climb, Geoff transformed the stairwell of his apartment building into a training ground - donning his backpack and ascending 31 flights three times a week. 

Though initially apprehensive about slowing down the group, Geoff was pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie he found on the trip.

“It’s potluck, who you end up with. I knew I was going to be a lot older than the rest of the group and I had no experience, so I was a bit dubious about how they would treat me,” he said.

“They were really friendly and helpful. Whoever was in front of me when we were trekking would often check to make sure I was okay. They were a great team to deal with.”

Now back in Docklands, Geoff has no plans to pursue mountain climbing further. Instead, he’s setting his sights on the next item on his bucket list - a trip to Antarctica. 

“We were all talking the next morning after we came down, and they asked if I’d ever do it again. I said, ‘absolutely never’. It’s like death, taxes and I ain’t climbing Kilimanjaro a second time. But I’m happy I went and had a crack at it.” •